


A Holiday Outing

by Lady_Sage



Category: Persona 4
Genre: I wrote this a year ago and waited for the holiday season to post, Implied Sexual Content, Light Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, Merry Christmas, These two are such dorks, and everything in between, blessed yule, happy holidays, happy new year
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-22
Updated: 2017-12-22
Packaged: 2019-02-18 14:00:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13101678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Sage/pseuds/Lady_Sage
Summary: Souji's back for the holidays, and Yosuke's more than happy to have him to himself for a few days. Once it comes time for sharing, though--thoughts and feelings included--things don't go exactly as planned. Then it's just a countdown to the final word.





	A Holiday Outing

Yosuke was standing at the train station, collar popped, scarf wrapped around his mouth, and hands stuffed deep in his pockets. It was a freezing December evening, but that was okay. The reason he was waiting was worth the cold.

 

When the train pulled up to the station, warmth spread through the brunette’s body. And once the doors opened, his eyes darted back and forth between them until he finally saw someone step off the train. He smiled at the head of the silver hair before rushing up to him.

 

“Partner,” he said. “Welcome home.”

 

“Yosuke, what are you doing here?” Souji said, fixing the bag on his shoulder.

 

“What do you think?”

 

“I told you not to meet me. It’s too cold.”

 

“So what? You’re back in town and I want to spend as much time as I can with you. It’s been way too long since we last saw each other, after all.”

 

“We text just about every single day and I’m here for the next week and a half.”

 

“Stop fighting this, Partner.”

 

Souji chuckled softly. “Fine.” He paused. “By the way, you can’t pull off popped collars like I can.”

 

The brunette pushed him away. “Shut up. Ass.” He shook his head. “So…your uncle’s place?”

 

“Actually, your parents are away until Christmas Eve, right?”

 

“Uh, yeah. Why?”

 

“My uncle doesn’t think I’m arriving until Christmas Eve.”

 

“Wait…what?”

 

A small smile—smirk—graced Souji’s features. “You’re the only one who knows I’m back already. Everyone else isn’t expecting me until Christmas Eve. So you want to spend as much time with me as you can, right? Well, now that won’t be an issue.”

 

Heat rose to Yosuke’s cheeks and he was actually thankful for the cold in that moment. “Why would you do that?”

 

“Because I wanted time alone with you, too.”

 

“C’mon, Partner, shut up.”

 

“Okay, okay. Let’s head back to your place.”

 

“Yeah. I’m sick of being out here.”

 

So, they started for Yosuke’s house. The brunette fought with the other for control of the bag slung over his shoulder. Eventually, Souji gave in with an exasperated sigh and let Yosuke carry it for him. Then they started talking about school. And for once, Souji was doing most of the talking. The brunette loved when the other controlled the conversation. It didn’t happen often, and when it did happen it gave Yosuke the opportunity to observe the other. His mannerisms when he spoke, his facial features, his hand gestures. All these little things that even Souji himself probably didn’t notice he did. All these little things that the brunette could never miss.

 

When they arrived at Yosuke’s house, they both changed into warmer clothes. Then they moved to the living room. The brunette sat down on the futon, but Souji remained on his feet.

 

“Do you want coffee?” he said.

 

“C’mon, Partner, what are you doing? You’re my guest.”

 

“Good point. You can make coffee.” He sat down beside him. “C’mon, Partner, make me feel welcome.”

 

Yosuke laughed. “You are seriously such an ass.” He got back to his feet and moved into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. “So, do you have any idea yet what you’re doing once you graduate?”

 

Souji sighed as he joined the other in the kitchen. “Well…I’ve already had a few college interviews and I still have some more set up. My parents take care of all that more than I do, though. I just sorta comply to their schedule.”

 

“That’s pretty incredible, Partner.”

 

He shrugged. “I suppose.”

 

“Not what you want?”

 

“It’s what I’m good at, and apparently that’s all that matters.”

 

“That’s not true. It’s important for you to do what you want.”

 

“Well, what about you? What are your plans for after graduation?”

 

The brunette shook his head. “Yeah, I don’t think my grades are nearly good enough for me to continue my education.”

 

“What are you talking about? You were doing well in your classes by the time I returned to the city.”

 

“That’s because I had you here to help me study. Once you left, it got hard for me to stay focused.”

 

“Why didn’t you say anything about that? We could’ve done video study sessions or something.”

 

“I didn’t wanna distract you from your own schoolwork or make you waste any time on me.”

 

“Please, you are not a waste of time. Frankly, helping you probably would’ve helped me out in the long run, too.”

 

“I appreciate that, Partner.”

 

They fell silent after that. The coffee finished brewing and Yosuke poured a cup for Souji and for himself. They then moved back into the living room and silently agreed to turned the TV on and settle down with a show. Soon enough, they both fell asleep curled up on the futon.

 

~~~~

 

“Dude, I am so sorry. I totally forgot I had stupid work today,” Yosuke said the following morning. “Are you sure you’re gonna be okay hanging out alone?”

 

“I don’t mind. It’ll give me time to read and relax.”

 

“Ugh. You’re so boring.”

 

He chuckled. “Shut up and go to work. You’re lucky I’m willing to spend the next few days alone with you.”

 

“You better actually relax today. If I come home and find that you’ve done anything other than read, I’ll be pissed.”

 

“You’re gonna be late.”

 

“Fine, fine, I get it, I’m leaving.” He threw his jacket on. “I’ll see you later tonight.”

 

“Should I be expecting Teddie to pop in at all?”

 

“Nah, he rarely comes around the house anymore. And if he does, well…good luck.”

 

“Oh, thanks.”

 

He winked at him. “Later, partner.”

 

As soon as Yosuke left, Souji searched through his bag for one of his books. Then he made himself a cup of tea before making himself comfortable on the living room futon again. He opened his book and started reading, but soon found himself restless. Typically he enjoyed the quiet, but there was something unsettling about it at this moment. So, he went upstairs to Yosuke’s bedroom to grab a CD. The two of them didn’t have very similar tastes in music, but Souji would listen to just about anything right now. Once he came across a CD he figured he might enjoy, he headed back downstairs. On take two of trying to read, though, he only lasted another ten or fifteen minutes. So then he did the unthinkable.

 

He cleaned.

 

He started in the living room. Folding the blankets. Sweeping the floors. Dusting off the TV—and making sure to keep his hands off the screen lest he cause any trouble. After all, that’d be hard to explain. From there, he moved into the kitchen. He washed what few dishes had been left in the sink. He cleaned the countertops. Mopped the floors. Wiped down the table.

 

Once he was done with the first floor, he had to stop himself from making his was up to the second floor. Sure, Yosuke’s room was a mess, but it was an organised mess. Souji wouldn’t be able to find that shirt he loved so much, but the brunette would be able to pinpoint the exact spot of which it lay. So, Souji left it alone. He was actually thoroughly impressed with Yosuke on the matter.

 

“Yo, I’m home,” a male voice suddenly called from the front door.

 

Souji froze. Did he seriously just spend the entire day cleaning? He hadn’t even realised how much time had passed.

 

Yosuke found him in the kitchen on his knees. “Dude, did you clean the house?”

 

He paused. “No?”

 

The brunette laughed. “You’re ridiculous. Why would you clean my house?”

 

“I was bored. I tried reading, but I couldn’t sit still.”

 

“I don’t even clean my house.”

 

“Well, maybe if you did I wouldn’t have had to while you were working today.”

 

Yosuke scoffed. “Ass.” He then winked.

 

Souji’s stomach somersaulted. It did every time the brunette winked at him. He knew it didn’t mean anything—it was harmless—but that didn’t stop his stomach from trying to win the gold medal in acrobats.

 

“You know what?” Yosuke went on. “I’m gonna order Aiya’s tonight. My treat.”

 

“You don’t have to do that. I can just cook—”

 

“I am not letting you cook after you spent the entire day cleaning. C’mon, Partner, stop acting like such a housewife.”

 

Souji shrugged. “I like to think I’d make a good housewife.”

 

“Dude, shut up.” The brunette punched the other in the arm gently. “Why do you always have to say shit like that? And so casually, too.”

 

He chuckled under his breath as Yosuke called Aiya’s to order food for them. The truth was that Souji would always say stuff like that to try to get a rise out of the brunette.

 

He had realised his feelings for the other towards the end of the team’s investigation in the Shadow World. While his uncle and cousin had been in the hospital, more specifically. While the entire team supported him, Yosuke was the one who was really there through it all. And the night he thought he had lost his cousin… All the others had left to go home, and he was under the impression the brunette had left, too, but he had been wrong. The brunette came back and stayed with him while he broke down. Souji. The man of zero expression. To this day, Yosuke was still the only one who had ever seen him like that. And when the brunette comforted him that night, all Souji had been able to think about was how much he didn’t want to be let go.

 

Naoto and Kanji were the only two who knew how he felt. Kanji actually figured it out on his own and had confronted Naoto about it to see if she agreed with his hypothesis. She did, and they casually brought it up to Souji the last time he had visited. Of course, that was back for Yosuke’s birthday a good six months ago now. Souji hadn’t bothered trying to deny it, either. And when they asked him how he was going to tell the other, he told them he wasn’t going to. It was clear to him that the brunette didn’t like guys  _that way_ , and his friendship—his partnership—was way too precious for him to risk ruining it. So, he was okay with his feelings being unrequited. After all, he’d take having Yosuke in his life as his best friend rather than not having him in his life at all.

 

“All right, Partner, food should be here soon,” Yosuke said, snapping him back into the present day.

 

Souji only nodded. “How was work?”

 

“Same as usual. Boring. Annoying. Bad customers. Even worse employees.”

 

“Have you told your dad yet that you don’t want to be a part of the business?”

 

“No. I mean, how am I supposed to tell him that?”

 

“Your dad’s a pretty open-minded guy. I’m sure he’d understand.”

 

“And I’m sure he’d stop talking to me for at least three months. Or until graduation day or something.”

 

He shook his head at him, chuckling. “You’re overthinking it way too much.”

 

“Well, what about you? When are you gonna tell your parents that you don’t want what they want?”

 

“Hmm. It’s a little harder for me. My parents have been prepping me since elementary school. And I’m not as close with them as you are with your own parents. Your parents are also far more considerate than mine.”

 

“Partner…no wonder you—”

 

There was then a knock on the door. Yosuke left the kitchen to answer it. When he came back, he had a bag of food in his hands. They sat around the table and spread out the food without saying a word. Once they were comfortable, Souji swallowed hard.

 

“What were you gonna say?” he said.

 

“Huh?” Yosuke said. “What do you mean?”

 

“Before the food got here. You started saying something about me.”

 

He thought for a moment. Then his cheeks reddened. “Oh, that. It was nothing, Partner. I’m actually glad I got interrupted because it probably would’ve been really stupid.”

 

“I wanna know.” He was trying way too hard to keep himself calm.

 

The brunette sighed. “Just…no wonder you have such a hard time expressing yourself. I mean, your parents must’ve spent your childhood shutting you down every time you tried telling them how you felt.”

 

“Oh.” He cleared his throat. “Yeah, well—”

 

“I wish you would be more expressive. It gets pretty tough trying to read you and figure out what it is your feeling or thinking.”

 

“I’m not that complicated, Yosuke.”

 

“Hah. Says you.”

 

With that, Souji dropped the subject. If he carried it on any further, he knew he would end up saying something—admitting something—he would regret. And he still wasn’t willing to take that chance.

 

“See? This is what I mean,” Yosuke spoke up. “You seem to have this really intense look on your face like your concentrating really hard on something, but I have no idea what.” He put his food down. “C’mon, Partner, what are you thinking about? Tell me. You know I won’t shut you down.”

 

“I’m not thinking about anything,” he said. “I guess I’m just really hungry and focused on the food. Cleaning does work up an appetite, after all.”

 

“Hmm. Well, you do know you can talk to me about anything, right? Seriously, anything at all. I would never judge or ridicule you.”

 

He swallowed hard. “Y-yeah, I know. Thanks.”

 

Now he smiled and winked at him again. “Sure thing, Partner.”

 

Damn it. As soon as the brunette winked and Souji’s stomach started flipping again, he lost his appetite. He forced himself to take a few more bites before offering to make coffee or tea. Lucky for him, Yosuke didn’t think anything of it. Or, at least, he didn’t seem to notice his change in behaviour. The truth was, though, Souji had just as hard of a time reading the brunette as the brunette had reading him.

 

So, where was that supposed to leave them?

 

~~~~

 

The next few days passed as any other normal day would have. Yosuke and Souji trapped themselves in the brunette’s house and did whatever they thought of to pass the time. That usually included either listening to music or watching movie after movie or, during desperate times, Yosuke would even let Souji show him cat videos.

 

Before they knew it, it was the day before Christmas Eve.

 

“So, how are you planning on  _arriving_  tomorrow?” Yosuke said.

 

“I told my uncle not to worry about picking me up at the station. He did fight me on it a little bit, but it still didn’t take much to convince him.”

 

“When is he expecting you?”

 

“Early in the morning. Early enough where I should be able to sneak over to that part of town without being seen by any familiar faces.”

 

“Is that how you were able to convince him to not pick you up?”

 

“Yes and no. I’m sure he’ll be up waiting for me anyhow.”

 

“Honestly, Partner, I can’t believe you were able to keep this from Nana-chan for as long as you have. When you were talking on the phone with her the other night I thought for sure you’d cave.”

 

Souji chuckled a bit. “Trust me, I thought so, too.” Just then his phone went off. “Oh, do you mind if I take this?”

 

“Of course not.”

 

So, he stepped into the next room and answered the call. “Hello.”

 

“Souji-senpai, how are you?” Naoto said from the other end.

 

“I’m well. How are you?”

 

“Good. We’re all looking forward to seeing you tomorrow.”

 

“Me too.”

 

“And you’re here until the New Year, correct?”

 

“Correct.”

 

There was a pause. “Senpai,” she started up again, uncertainty coating her voice, “Kanji-kun and I were wondering…”

 

Souji let out a soft sigh. “I don’t think I’ll be telling him.”

 

“Why not? We both believe Yosuke-senpai may actually—”

 

“I appreciate the support, I really do, but I just don’t think it’ll work out that way. And as I’ve said before, risking my friendship with him just wouldn’t be worth it. So, if that means my feelings remain unrequited, then so be it.”

 

“You don’t always have to act so nobly.”

 

Now he chuckled. “Yeah, well—”

 

“Hey, bad news, Partner,” Yosuke then called from the other room.

 

“Huh?” Naoto said. “Was that Hanamura-san?”

 

“We’re video chatting,” Souji said, almost without missing a beat.

 

“Oh, I didn’t mean to interrupt—”

 

“It’s fine. I gotta get going, though. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

 

“See you tomorrow, Senpai.”

 

Souji hung up the phone and Yosuke joined him. “Sorry, Partner, but Chie is forcing me to hang out with her and the rest of the team. Guess they want to put together something special for your arrival tomorrow.”

 

“That’s fine. I don’t mind.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“I’m positive.”

 

“If you say so. Just don’t go cleaning the house again.”

 

He laughed. “Can’t make any promises.”

 

The brunette shook his head as he made his way upstairs to get changed. As soon as he was out of sight, Souji’s phone went off again. Except this time, it was only a text.

 

_C’mon, Senpai, just tell Hanamura-san the truth. And if he rejects ya, then I’ll kick his ass._

 

Souji smiled at Kanji’s text. He really did appreciate how supportive his two Kohai had been over the last few months. That didn’t change how he felt about confessing, though. And he would only confess if Yosuke showed any sort of sign of maybe feeling the same way. So far, no such luck.

 

“All right, dude, I’ll be back in a couple hours,” Yosuke said as he rushed back down the stairs. And there was that favourite t-shirt. “Text me if you need anything.”

 

“Will do. Have fun.”

 

“Later, Partner.”

 

~~~~

 

When Yosuke arrived at Junes, he really had to try hard to hide his frustration. He saw the group just about every other day. He never saw Souji. So, getting pulled away from his partner to see his friends who lived right in town with him was just…aggravating. He couldn’t let that show, though, because then he would give away the fact that Souji had come back early.

 

He came back early just for him. To see just him. He couldn’t get that thought out of his head. Something about it all made him feel special, but he didn’t understand why. Souji was just being a good friend. That’s who he was as a person. Plus, he had talked before about wanting time to be alone with him. Being around so many people tended to stress him out a bit, and Yosuke was more than willing to help block that stress. And if that meant hiding his best friend in his house for a few days, then so be it. He certainly wasn’t complaining. Gave him the opportunity to get to know the other even better than anyone else.

 

It was strange, really, that desire of his. He wanted to be the only one who knew Souji on deeper levels than what he showed to everyone else. He didn’t want anyone else to know his partner the way he did. And maybe that was a little selfish of him, but Souji was his best friend. His partner. His—

 

“Senpai?” a distant voice then said. “Senpai?”

 

Yosuke shook his head and looked across the table at Kanji. He blinked a couple times. “Huh? What?”

 

“You feeling okay?” Kanji said. “You were totally spaced out.”

 

“Sorry, just lost in thought.”

 

Chie laughed. “You say that like you actually have something important to think about. I mean, what kind of thoughts could you have other than girls and mopeds?”

 

“Shut up.”

 

“Anyway, we’re thinking about surprising Senpai at the train station in the morning,” Rise then said.

 

“Don’t do that,” Yosuke said. “He won’t like that.”

 

Teddie scoffed. “How would you know?”

 

“Because he doesn’t even want his uncle and Nana-chan picking him up. It’s gonna be an early drop off, and it’s gonna be super cold.”

 

“Then maybe we could surprise him at Dojima-san’s,” Naoto said.

 

“If Souji is going to be arriving early, though, then maybe that wouldn’t be a very good idea, either,” Yukiko said. “I wouldn’t want to intrude on their home so early.”

 

“Nah, I’m sure they’re both gonna be up waiting for Souji,” Yosuke said. “I could talk to Dojima-san about it, though.”

 

“Perfect,” Naoto said with a nod. “Do that tonight and let us know.”

 

“Great. So, we done here?”

 

“Why are you in such a rush?” Chie said. “You really fought me on coming here in the first place, too.”

 

“I’m just not feeling all that good.”

 

“Oh, is that why you’ve been locked away in your house for the last few days?” Yukiko said.

 

“Uhm…yeah, exactly.”

 

“Then you should get back home, Senpai,” Kanji said.

 

“Good idea.” He jumped to his feet, but stopped when his phone went off. It was a text from Souji and he couldn’t help but think how perfect the timing was.

 

_Decided to go to my uncle’s house and surprise Nanako by being a day early. Hope that’s okay. If you wanna tell the others, that’s fine, too._

 

He swallowed hard, trying to keep his composure.

 

_Of course that’s okay, Partner. I’m sure I’ll be over with the rest of the team soon._

 

“Senpai?” Rise spoke up. “Everything okay?”

 

Yosuke took a silent breath before plastering the most genuine smile onto his face that he could. “That was Souji. Guess he decided to surprise Nana-chan by showing up a day early.”

 

She perked up at this. “You mean he’s back already?”

 

“I wanna go see Sensei,” Teddie said.

 

“Yeah, he said it would be all right for us to go over,” Yosuke said.

 

“Then let’s go,” Chie said.

 

The majority of the group jumped to their feet and made their way out of the Junes food court. The brunette stayed put, though, and he soon realised Naoto had stayed behind as well.

 

“Is everything okay, Senpai?” she spoke up.

 

“Y-yeah, everything’s great. Why do you ask?”

 

“Well, your best friend is back in town a day early and you don’t seem nearly as excited as I thought you would be.”

 

“Nah, it’s not that. Guess I’m just a bit taken aback by his earliness or whatever.”

 

She thought for a moment. “I called and spoke with him this morning. Towards the end of our conversation, I heard your voice. It sounded quite close, but he claimed you two were video chatting. I suppose I never realised just how much your voice carries.” She paused. “Although, for him to already be here and based on the time I called him earlier… Well, he must’ve been video chatting with you from the train. So, that would mean you would’ve known he was on his way here, which makes it odd that you would apparently be so surprised by his early arrival.”

 

He froze. “Damn it, I hate when you go into detective mode.”

 

“So, you were aware of the fact that he was already on his way back?”

 

He shook his head. “Uh…that’s right.”

 

“I see.” Another pause. “It still doesn’t make sense, though, as to why you’re not more excited.”

 

“Dude, chill with the interrogation.”

 

“I’m not interrogating you, Senpai. I’m simply making an observation. For instance, I’ve observed how you’ve gone paler with each sentence I’ve spoken.” She rose to her feet. “No offence, but you’re not very good at hiding your emotions.”

 

“Hey—”

 

“We should get going. I’m sure the others are waiting and wondering as to what’s taking us so long.”

 

Yosuke shut his mouth, defeated. There was no point in arguing now. Not when Naoto had him cornered like that. Then again, it wasn’t like he ever admitted to anything; he just didn’t deny anything.

 

But maybe that would be his downfall.

 

~~~~

 

Souji was happy to see the Investigation Team again. He had returned to Inaba a couple different times since he had left back in March, but something about it being the holidays made this visit feel different.

 

The team stayed pretty late into the night. When they finally started to take their leaves, Yosuke was the last one remaining. Given the fact that it was so late and his parents were still gone, Dojima let him stay the night.

 

Now they were in Souji’s room. They were silent. Yosuke listening to music and Souji just reading. At least, he was trying to read. The brunette was a bit more distracting than he would’ve liked, though, and he couldn’t help but steal glances at him. And he knew it was only a matter of time until the other caught on.

 

“What’s up, Partner?” Yosuke spoke up, removing his headphone from his ears.

 

“Hmm?”

 

“You seem like you wanna say something. You do keep looking over here.”

 

He paused. “You’re not bored, are you?”

 

“Huh? Not at all. One of my favourite things about hanging out with you is being able to hang out with you in utter silence and having it not be awkward.” He chuckled a bit. “It’s kinda nice.”

 

“Okay.”

 

He put his hands back on his headphones, but hesitated, letting them linger over his ears. “I have a question.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“What made you decide to show up here a day early?”

 

“Oh. Well…I suppose it was because I felt bad lying to Nanako. I know it was a harmless white lie, but still.”

 

He nodded. “Makes sense.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Why what?”

 

“Why did you want to know?”

 

“I was enjoying my alone time with you.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Guess I just feel cheated out of a day, but I have no problem giving that day up to Nana-chan.”

 

Souji perked up a bit at this. The fact that Yosuke was enjoying being alone with him—so much so that he was upset he went to his uncle’s a day early—meant something. And now he couldn’t help but wish he had let the brunette be selfish and give him his last day of alone time.

 

“Was four days not enough alone time for you?” he said after another couple seconds of comfortable silence.

 

“Four days was plenty of time, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t have wanted the fifth day.”

 

“Should I have consulted with you first?”

 

“What? No. It wasn’t my choice to make.”

 

“Still. You seem almost upset by this.”

 

“Dude, I’m not upset.”

 

“Yet you feel cheated?”

 

Yosuke’s cheeks reddened a bit. “Shut up. Ass.”

 

Souji held back his grin. Maybe Naoto and Kanji were right. Maybe he should just confess his feelings. Maybe it would be worth the risk, after all.

 

“If you want, I could do something special for you tomorrow night,” he said.

 

Now the brunette raised an eyebrow. “The hell is that supposed to mean, Partner? You do know what tomorrow is, right? It’s Christmas Eve. It’s supposed to be spent with a chick.”

 

He winced discreetly. Hmm. Or maybe not.

 

“Well, do you have a girl to spend it with?”

 

He paused. “No…”

 

“Neither do I. So, let’s just spend it together.”

 

“Fine. But none of that  _making it special_  crap. That just sounds weird.”

 

He forced a little chuckle. “Right. Sorry.”

 

With that, Yosuke put his headphones back on and Souji returned to reading his book. Except now he could concentrate even less. Now all he could think about was whether or not it would be better—less painful—to just confess and get it over with.

 

~~~~

 

Yosuke returned home pretty early the next day. Something about wanting to get home to clean up whatever mess was left behind from him and Souji. Little did he know, Souji had already cleaned up after them both. Although, he didn’t bother telling the brunette that. He knew he wouldn’t be happy with him if he did.

 

After he left, Souji ended up getting in touch with Naoto and Kanji. The three of them met up at the shrine before making their way to the flood plains.

 

“So, you think you may actually tell him tonight?” Kanji said.

 

“Maybe,” Souji said. “I’ve just been thinking a lot about what you two have said. Y’know, how maybe he doesn’t feel the same way, but he still deserves to know the truth.”

 

“We believe he could feel the same way, though,” Naoto said.

 

He shook his head. “There’s no way. Last night I made a comment about doing something special for him tonight and he said that was weird because it’d be Christmas Eve and it’s a night that’s supposed to be spent with a girl.” He sighed. “Either way, there’s no way he feels the same way.”

 

“C’mon, it’s Yosuke-senpai,” Kanji said. “Of course he’s gonna spew some shit like that. He’s kind of a prick who tries way too hard to be masculine.”

 

Souji couldn’t help but laugh. “Still.”

 

“Maybe he just hasn’t realised how he feels yet,” Naoto then said. “And it very well could be something he doesn’t realise until you tell him how you feel. That could be the trigger for him.”

 

“You’re right. But I still haven’t decided if it’d be worth the risk or not. I mean, what if he doesn’t feel the same way and says he can’t be my friend anymore after I tell him? I just…I don’t know what I’d do if I lost him completely. I think that’d be more devastating than never knowing if he feels the same or not.”

 

“We know. You’d rather have him in your life as a friend than not have him in your life at all,” she said. “You’ve said that before.”

 

“Exactly. So, I just don’t know if I’m willing to risk our friendship over some stupid sort-of-confession.”

 

“C’mon, Senpai, he still deserves to know the truth,” Kanji said. “Friendship is based off honesty.”

 

Naoto now smiled. “I must say, whenever Kanji-kun has a point, it’s always a damn good one.”

 

“Yeah, I kinda hate that,” Souji said. He sighed. “Guess I’ll just wait and see how tonight goes. Who knows? Maybe it’ll end up being a spur of the moment sort of thing.”

 

“Perhaps.” She thought for a moment. “By the way, there was something I wanted to talk with you about.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Exactly how early did you arrive in Inaba?”

 

He paused. “What do you mean?”

 

“Based on my phone call with you and your alleged video chat with Hanamura-san, I’m afraid there are certain things that just don’t quite add up.”

 

“Oh. Uhm—”

 

“Senpai, there you are,” a female voice suddenly said from a distance. The three of them turned to see Rise and the others walking towards them. Souji couldn’t have been more relieved. “We’ve been wondering where you were.”

 

“How could you call Naoto-kun and Kanji-kun and not me?” Teddie said. “What’s so special about the two of them?”

 

“Sorry, Teddie,” Souji said. “I just needed to speak with them about something.”

 

“Oh?” Chie put her hands on her hips. “Keeping secrets, are we?”

 

“It’s a private matter,” Naoto said.

 

“Sounds serious,” Yukiko said. “Is everything at least all right?”

 

“For the most part,” Kanji said. “But things will be better once they’re fully resolved.” He hit Souji on the back. “Ain’t that right, Senpai?”

 

Souji held back a small blush. “Right.”

 

“Are you doing anything tonight, Senpai?” Rise then said, practically pouncing onto his arm. “We should spend some alone time together, don’t you think?” She giggled. “You could even cook for me, if you would like.”

 

“Sorry, but I already have plans.”

 

“Huh? With who?”

 

Chie’s eyes lit up and a smirk popped onto her lips. “Oh, is this the private matter? Do you have a secret girlfriend?”

 

“What? No. Sensei would never tell  _those_  two about a secret girlfriend,” Teddie said. “He would obviously come to me about that.”

 

“Actually, I should probably get going now,” Souji said, sliding away from Rise. “I told Nanako I would spend some time with her today.”

 

“Promise me I can see you tomorrow, Senpai,” Rise said.

 

Chie let out an exasperated sigh. “Relax, he’s here until the New Year.”

 

She perked up again a this. “That’s right. Then promise me we can spend New Year’s Eve together. Just you and me.”

 

“Now that doesn’t seem very fair,” Yukiko said.

 

“Get out of here while they’re distracted, Senpai,” Kanji said, his voice low.

 

Souji chuckled a bit. “Thanks.”

 

With that, he left the flood plains. And the others really were too distracted to notice him slipping away. He was thankful for that. He was also thankful for the fact that he would be spending the evening with Yosuke. Alone.

 

What could go wrong?

 

~~~~

 

Despite Yosuke’s parents only having returned home that morning, they still chose to go out for Christmas Eve rather than spend it with their son. Not that he resented them for that. It was a work-related thing and he understood that. Besides, he’d be able to see them on Christmas Day. Better yet, that meant he got to be alone with Souji again for the night. That was definitely a bit of a perk.

 

There was a knock on his door, and then Souji was letting himself in as he made his way to answer it. They exchanged their typical, simple greetings before moving into the living room.

 

“Coffee or tea?” Yosuke said.

 

“Coffee, please. It’s been a long day.”

 

Yosuke moved towards the kitchen and the other followed after him. “Oh yeah? What happened?”

 

“Between keeping up with Nanako and being interrogated by the group—”

 

“Whoa, why did the guys interrogate you?”

 

Souji shrugged. “More so just Teddie and Rise wondering why I wanted to spend tonight with you rather than with one of them. And Chie wondering if I have a secret girlfriend or whatever.”

 

“Secret girlfriend? You?” He laughed. “Never.”

 

“Oh, thanks.”

 

“You know I mean no harm.”

 

He rolled his eyes. “Either way, it was just one question after another. At one point they were so distracted with theories that Kanji told me to slip away while I had the chance. So, I did.”

 

“Good job, Partner.” He handed him a cup of coffee. “Speaking of interrogations,” the brunette then started, “I think Naoto may have figured out our little secret.”

 

“You think so, too?”

 

“Guess we shouldn’t find that so surprising. She  _is_  the Detective Prince after all.”

 

“True enough. It’s good to know she won’t actually call us out on it, though.”

 

“What would it even matter? So you showed up a free days early and didn’t tell anyone. What’s the big deal?”

 

“Easy for you to say when you got me to yourself for a good four days.”

 

Yosuke blushed lightly. “As the best friend, I get first dibs.”

 

“Try making that argument with Teddie and Rise.”

 

He laughed again. “Good point. They’d never go for it.” He paused, gripping his mug a little tighter. “Hey, Partner, can I ask you something kinda personal?”

 

“What could be so personal that you need to warrant permission to ask?”

 

“It’s just…is there anybody here in Inaba you come back to see? Y’know, besides Nana-chan and your uncle and me and the guys.”

 

“Like a girlfriend of sorts?”

 

“Exactly. I mean, there were so many girls who practically threw themselves at you from the moment you arrived here. I just find it a bit hard to believe you didn’t connect with a single person on that level.”

 

Souji looked thoughtful as he took a sip of his coffee. “I never said there wasn’t someone, though.”

 

The brunette almost choked on his coffee and dropped his mug at the same time. “Wait, so there is someone here in town that you like?”

 

Another look of careful thinking. “As a matter of fact—”

 

“Dude, who?” He practically threw his mug onto the countertop, almost shattering it in the process. Which, ironically, was what he was trying to avoid doing by putting it down in the first place. “C’mon, you gotta tell me.”

 

“What does it matter?”

 

“Is it one of the girls? Rise?”

 

“No. She really isn’t my type. Don’t get me wrong, she’s nice and all, but a bit too in the spotlight for my taste.”

 

“Makes sense. How about Chie, then?”

 

“She’s great, too. Kind. Considerate. Just a little too tomboyish for me.”

 

“Yukiko, then. She’s quiet. Diligent. Has that same twisted sense of humour. She’s pretty much the perfect match for you.”

 

“I can see where you’re coming from with that, but still no.”

 

He thought long and hard of the other girls they had attended school with. “Ai?” He said first as he paced his kitchen floor. “I mean, didn’t you technically date her before?”

 

“Yes, but that was more of a security thing. She needed support. It was nothing serious or legit.”

 

“Doesn’t mean you couldn’t have fallen for her along the way.”

 

“I didn’t.”

 

“Fine. What about Yumi, then? That’s the only reason I can think of as to why you would join the drama club. I mean, don’t take this the wrong way, Partner, but you’re not the most expressive person.”

 

Souji couldn’t help but to chuckle at this. “I’ll give you that one, but no.”

 

He sighed. “Then the girl from band? Hell, I can’t even remember her name.”

 

“Ayane. And no.”

 

“Hmm. Those are all the girls I can think of that you spent the most time with. Other than them, you spent your time with—” He froze before slowly turning on his heel to face the other. “Unless…it’s not a girl.”

 

Souji’s gaze dropped to the mug he was clutching. “Well, that certainly would explain why none of them are my type.”

 

The brunette’s eyes widened a bit. Well. This was a step forward. Not a step back. “Okay. So…not a girl.” He sat down across from the other. “There were still plenty of guys you hung out with, too. I mean, Kou and Daisuke… Then again, they spend way too much time in each other’s company. Dating one of them would be like dating both of them.” He perked up a bit. “Hey, maybe we should try setting Chie and Yukiko up with them. Now that would be perfect.” He smiled at the thought, but it quickly slipped away when he noticed the way Souji was gaping at him. “What’s with that look?”

 

“I just…” Souji shook his head. “Just like that, you’re gonna accept it and move on? No sputtering questions or denials or trying to tell me I’m supposed to wanna date chicks and not guys?”

 

“C’mon, Partner, give me some credit.” Yosuke smiled again. “I like to think I’ve matured some over the last year and a half.”

 

Now he chuckled a bit. “I’m sorry, that came out wrong.”

 

“It’s fine, I get it. But seriously, dude, you can like whoever you want. Girl. Guy. It doesn’t matter to me. You’re still my best friend.”

 

Colour rose to Souji’s cheeks and he cocked his head to the side. “You have no idea how much I appreciate that.”

 

“No problem. But now you gotta tell me who it is you’re crushing on.”

 

“I don’t think I can do that.”

 

“Huh? Why not?”

 

“I just can’t.”

 

“C’mon, we’re supposed to tell each other everything. If you can come out to me, then I think you can tell me who it is you like.”

 

He rose to his feet. “Let’s go watch or a movie or something.”

 

“Souji,” he said, remaining seated. The other froze in the doorway. Yosuke had purposely used his name because he knew the other knew he only used his name when he meant business. So, Souji returned to the table and sat back down. The brunette leaned forward, trying to meet his best friend’s gaze. “Talk to me.”

 

After hesitating, he lifted his gaze to lock with the brunette’s. There was a sheepish smile on his lips. “I’m not very good with words.”

 

“Then write it down or something. I mean, don’t you wanna tell someone?”

 

“I want to tell that person, but I already know he’ll reject me. Maybe not on purpose, but he will.”

 

He shook his head. “No, that’s not possible. How could anyone even think about rejecting you?”

 

“Funny you should say that…”

 

“The hell is that supposed to mean?”

 

“Long story short, the guy I like isn’t gay. Which is just my luck, really. He’s the first guy I’ve met who I would actually consider dating. The first guy I’ve ever showed interest in, and I don’t stand a chance because he’s not gay.”

 

“No offence, Partner, but why would you fall for some guy who’s not gay? I mean, why would you put yourself through that? I don’t even wanna see you go through that.”

 

“Not like I did it on purpose. Because I didn’t fall for just some guy, Yosuke.” He took a deep breath. “I fell for my best friend. My partner.”

 

The brunette went rigid. “Souji…”

 

“Don’t. You don’t have to apologise because it’s not your fault. You can’t force yourself to feel a certain way. And the last thing I want is for you to feel obligated to reciprocate my feelings. Obviously that’s not necessary. And I know it’s not gonna happen. I’ve come to terms with that already. You’re very straight and I’m just an idiot who apparently can’t control his feelings. You don’t have to worry about me, though. I just hope things can stay the same between us. That they won’t be weird or awkward.”

 

Yosuke tried to process everything the other had just said, but it was too difficult. He was still trying to process his confession. Somewhere along the way, his best friend had fallen for him. He didn’t understand how that could’ve been possible. Souji was this incredible and talented person. He was kind and considerate and generous and Yosuke was… There was just no comparison. So, why would someone as great as Souji Seta fall for someone like him? Better yet, why was the brunette trying to comprehend that rather than trying to deny it? Then again, why would he need to deny it?

 

“You could at least say something,” Souji spoke up.

 

Yosuke straightened up again, coming back to reality. “Sorry, I just…I don’t know what to say.”

 

“I understand.” He rose to his feet. “I’m hoping we can continue as normal. Maybe act like I never confessed.”

 

“I’m sorry, but I—I can’t do that.” He stood up as well. “I need some time to process this. To figure out how I feel.”

 

“If you’ve matured, then I would hope you’d be okay with—”

 

“C’mon, this is different than you just coming out as gay, Souji. This is you confessing your feelings for me. That’s way more intense.”

 

“Yosuke, please, I don’t want—I can’t lose you as a friend. As my partner.”

 

“I’m not saying you will. But I still need time to think.”

 

Now he nodded. “Very well. Guess I’ll take me leave, then.”

 

The brunette walked to the other to the front door. “Hey, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

 

He swallowed hard. “Yeah. G’night.”

 

Yosuke closed the door and waited a few seconds before pounding a fist against it. Damn it. He felt like such an idiot. That was not how he wanted the night to go. That was not how he wanted to react to a confession like that, either. Hell, he should’ve been flattered. Instead, though, he questioned the other’s reasoning. That wasn’t gonna solve anything for either of them. He needed to figure out how he felt first and foremost. But that…that could take some time. And time was the last thing he had.

 

~~~~

 

The hustle and bustle of Christmas morning was more than enough to keep Souji’s mind off things. Until, that is, the group started arriving at his uncle’s house. Rise and Teddie showed up first, followed by Yukiko and Chie. Then Naoto and Kanji arrived, leaving Yosuke as the last to join them. Their greeting was murmured. Awkward. They were too busy trying to avoid one another that they failed to notice the exchanges of odd glances between the rest of the team.

 

“Okay, what are our plans for New Year’s Eve?” Rise asked once everyone had finished eating the between-lunch-and-dinner-meal Souji had cooked. “And we have to make it incredible for Senpai.”

 

“For me?” Souji said. “That’s not right. It should be for all of us.”

 

“But you leave after the New Year, Sensei, and we don’t know when we’ll see you again after that.”

 

“C’mon, you two act like he doesn’t keep in touch with us on a weekly basis,” Chie said. She rolled her eyes. “Relax.”

 

“It would be nice to do something a little different, though,” Yukiko said.

 

“Yeah, something that maybe doesn’t include the Shrine,” Kanji said.

 

“Can I be a part of it?” Nanako said, joining the group around the kotatsu.

 

“Of course, Nana-chan,” Naoto said. “We would never exclude you.”

 

Souji smiled softly. “The best part would be having you there.”

 

The little girl giggled. “Thanks, big bro.”

 

So, they started making plans for the New Year. Everyone was tossing out suggestions. Familiar ideas. New ideas. Odd ideas. Creative ideas. But no ideas they could all seem to agree on.

 

“Hey, Yosuke, you’ve sure been awfully quiet,” Chie then said. “Do you have any bright ideas?”

 

“Huh?” Yosuke said.

 

She raised an eyebrow. “Everything all right with you? You seem seriously distracted by something.”

 

“I-I’m fine.”

 

“Well, do you have any bright ideas, then?”

 

“Yeah, you did always seem to be the idea guy,” Kanji said. “Even if they weren’t always very good ideas.”

 

“Ideas about what?”

 

“New Year’s Eve,” Rise said. “Have you been listening at all?”

 

“Oh…sorry.”

 

Nanako frowned a bit. “Are you okay?”

 

The brunette forced a smile for her. “I’m great, Nana-chan.”

 

“Could I talk with you, Yosuke?” Souji spoke up. “There’s something in my room that you left here a while ago.”

 

“Do you have to do that right now, Sensei?” Teddie said.

 

“Sorry, I’d just rather give it back to him while I’m thinking of it.”

 

With that, Souji and Yosuke made their way upstairs. They entered Souji’s room, both remaining silent. The brunette knew very well he hadn’t left anything behind the last time he was over. He knew very well what this was really about.

 

“Is it bothering you that much?” Souji started.

 

“C’mon, Partner, don’t say it like that.”

 

“Then how am I supposed to put it? It’s obvious you’re not okay with it.”

 

“Since when are you so impatient? It’s barely been a day since you confessed to me. That’s not nearly enough time for me to process it.”

 

“How long am I supposed to wait?”

 

“Why are you acting like this? Seriously, dude, you’ve never been this impatient.”

 

“I dunno. Maybe I’ve just been holding this in for so long that I feel like I’ve already done my waiting.”

 

“Well, that’s not very fair to me. This is really new to me and I just—” He sighed. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know how I feel yet. I’m gonna need more time than a single day.”

 

“You don’t have to make it sound better. Just be blunt with me. You’re better off.”

 

“The hell is that supposed to mean?”

 

“I know you don’t feel the same—”

 

“How can you know when I don’t even know? Stop jumping to conclusions, Partner. Please.” He paused. “I’ll have an answer for you by New Year’s Eve.”

 

Souji took a deep breath before nodding. “Keep in mind, though…don’t feel obligated to return the feelings. It’s okay if you don’t. More than okay.”

 

Before the brunette could respond, Souji left the room to rejoin the others. He hesitated at the top of the stairs when the other didn’t follow him right away. He wanted to go back to him, but things were hard enough as is. So, he took another deep breath and made his way down the stairs. By the time Yosuke finally returned to the group, he said he had to go. So, Souji showed him out, and that was the end of it.

 

Whether Yosuke knew it or not, Souji already had his answer.

 

~~~~

 

It was a couple days before New Year’s Eve and Yosuke was covering a shift for someone at Junes. It was good for him to keep his mind busy. With everything that had happened, he was driving himself crazy.

 

He wasn’t gay. But Souji was…well,  _Souji_. And Souji was different. A relationship with him wouldn’t be so bad. It wouldn’t be bad at all. Because it was  _Souji_. He was his best friend. His partner. He was a guy, though, and that was still weird to him. It was a little too different. And he hated that that was holding him back. He didn’t want it to be weird. He wanted to be with Souji. He really, truly did. The only issue was that he felt as if he wouldn’t be able to convince the other he was serious about those feelings; that the other would just be under the impression he was reciprocating the feelings as on  _obligation_ , as he had put it.

 

Damn, was he that much of a jackass?

 

“Yo, Senpai,” Kanji greeted him when he and Naoto arrived. The two of them sat down at the group’s usual meeting spot. “Can’t believe you’re working today.”

 

“What do you mean? Someone called out, so I offered to cover for them.”

 

“Yeah, but I can’t believe you offered.”

 

“Why not?”

 

Kanji’s brow burrowed. “Uh…little help here, Naoto-kun.”

 

Naoto swallowed hard. “You are aware Souji-senpai is leaving today, right?”

 

Yosuke’s eyes widened. “The hell do you mean he’s leaving today? He’s supposed to be staying through till the New Year.”

 

“Guess his plans changed,” Kanji said. “He didn’t tell you?”

 

“Does it look like he told me? What the hell?”

 

“Hanamura-san…did something happen between you two?”

 

Yosuke froze. “Like what?”

 

“Well—”

 

“Did he confess to you?” Kanji said flat out.

 

“Huh? You mean you two knew how he felt?”

 

“Yes, he told us a good few months ago,” Naoto said. “Actually, he confirmed it. Kanji-kun had suspicions, and we sort of confronted him about it. He didn’t even bother trying to deny it.”

 

“This is unbelievable…” Yosuke shook his head. “What about Nana-chan? She must be devastated.”

 

“She understands his reasoning. Even if it isn’t entirely true.”

 

“And when is he leaving?”

 

“I think the train he’s taking leaves in a little less than an hour,” Kanji said. “I think that’s why he just said goodbye to us.”

 

“Is he gonna say goodbye to me?”

 

Naoto’s gaze dropped to the floor. “Well…he told us he already had. That’s part of why we came here. I felt as if there was something off about that. Usually he always saves his last goodbye for you.”

 

“No…no, no, no, no…” He started untying his apron. “No, I gotta get out of here. I gotta see him before he leaves.” He pulled his apron off, throwing it down as he searched for another employee.

 

Once he found someone, he told them he had to go. In a hurry.  _Sorry, I’ll explain later_. Of course, he could explain all he want, but his father was not gonna be happy with him. Oh well. He’d deal with that later.

 

Now he had to deal with getting to the train station. So, there he was, running through the cold. His body was going numb. For what reason, he wasn’t sure. Because of the cold or because Souji was ready to leave without so much as even sending him a text. All he knew was that he had seriously screwed up. And he only a brief amount of time left to fix it.

 

Before he could even figure out how, he arrived at the train station. Before he got any farther, though, he ran straight into—

 

“Dojima-san,” he said.

 

“Hanamura, what are you doing?” Dojima said.

 

“Please tell me Souji isn’t gone yet.”

 

“No, big bro’s still here,” Nanako said. “He told us to leave because he doesn’t want us waiting in the cold.”

 

“Why did you seem to be in such a rush?” Dojima went on.

 

“Let’s just leave it at the fact that I’m an idiot.”

 

With that, he ran past the two of them and into the station. He spotted Souji and rushed over to him.

 

“Yosuke,” he said.

 

The brunette paused to catch his breath. “You’re an ass.”

 

“I’m an ass?”

 

“Yes, you are. You were actually gonna leave without saying goodbye to me. Without saying anything at all. The hell is that about?”

 

“Just figured it’d be easier. I’ve never been very good with words, after all.”

 

“That doesn’t mean you can just leave without telling me. That is seriously messed up, Souji.” He sighed. “Now do you wanna tell me what the hell is going on?”

 

Souji’s gaze was turned downward. “I thought I was stronger than this,” he started. “I thought I’d be able to withstand looking at you and knowing it would never happen for us. That we would never be anything more than just best friends, but I had been wrong. Man, was I wrong. Now that you know how I feel… Now that it’s been confirmed nothing will ever become of us…” He let out a heavy sigh. “You were right, Yosuke. I don’t know why I would put myself through this torment. And with you, of all people. And you said yourself you don’t wanna see me go through this, either. So, it’d be best for both of us if I just left.”

 

“Nothing’s even been confirmed,” he said. “C’mon, Partner, you’re reading way too deep into this.”

 

“Don’t try to make me feel better. I’ll manage on my own. I’ll move on and—”

 

“Stop. Just shut up. I don’t wanna hear it.”

 

The train pulled up to the station right then. “Guess it’s time for me to go.”

 

“No. Please, stay. C’mon, we can talk more. We can sort things out. They can be exactly the same as they were before.”

 

“They can’t be, though. Like I said, I’m not nearly strong enough for this.”

 

“Then let me be your crutch.”

 

“I can’t do that to you. I won’t be your burden.”

 

“Souji—”

 

“I have to go.” He fixed his bag on his shoulder. “Goodbye, Yosuke.”

 

“Don’t say that.”

 

“I thought that was what you wanted.”

 

“What?” He shook his head. “No. It sounds way too permanent.”

 

He smiled sheepishly at the brunette before boarding the train. It took off, and Yosuke followed it until he couldn’t anymore. Just like the first time Souji had left.

 

_Distance doesn’t matter to us. Even if we’re separated, we’re still friends._

 

He had meant it then. He still meant it now, too. Distance doesn’t matter. Even when separated, they’d still be friends. Best friends. Partners. Except now he knew he wanted so much more than that. But he didn’t know how long the distance would last this time. And he wasn’t ready for that answer.

 

~~~~

 

Souji was curled up on the living room couch with his favourite book and a cup of tea. It was an hour till the New Year. His parents were still away, and he hadn’t even heard from them. That was normal. He was used to not hearing from them for days at a time. Though, after living with his uncle and a cousin for a year, that was something he still had to readjust to.

 

Now he was just alone. His neighbours had offered he spend the evening with them, but he hadn’t been interested. He preferred staying in. Alone. Reading. Alone. Drinking tea. Alone. Hmm…

 

There seemed to be a pattern here.

 

Soon enough, he closed the book, putting it down. It was starting to get difficult for him to keep his eyes open, so he decided he would make coffee instead. After all, he wanted to make it into the New Year awake.

 

Only ten minutes left.

 

Last year he spent the New Year in Inaba. He spent it with his uncle and cousin and his new friends. Chie. Yukiko. Teddie. Kanji. Rise. Naoto.

 

Yosuke. The boy who had become his best friend. The boy who had become his partner. The boy he had fallen in love with. And then ruined everything with. Because he was an idiot.

 

He let out a heavy sigh. This was why he was better off keeping his emotions to himself. Keeping reserved. It was just easier to not get attached. Especially with the life he lead of moving from place to place so constantly. It just made more sense for him to keep a safe distance from any sort of relationship.

 

Yosuke changed that. Yosuke made it so Souji wanted to be a part of someone’s life. He wanted everything to do with the brunette. He wanted to know his innermost thoughts and deepest secrets. He wanted to be able to spend time with him in comfortable silence. He wanted to be able to share his own thoughts and feelings and secrets with him. He wanted everything that came with a friendship—a partnership—with him. And that’s exactly what he had.

 

The coffee finished brewing and he poured himself a cup. Only five more minutes. He checked his phone to see that he had a few messages. One from Naoto. One from Kanji. One from Rise. One from Nanako through his uncle’s phone. He didn’t bother replying to any of them. The one person he wanted to hear from hadn’t acknowledged him since he left. Then again, he couldn’t really blame the brunette for that. With the way he had left things, Yosuke had every reason to be upset with him. He had every reason to want nothing to do with him. And despite how much that hurt, he knew very well he would have to come to terms with it and accept it. If not today, then someday.

 

Souji sat back down and just stared at the clock as it ticked closer and closer to the New Year. Finally, there was only a minute left.

 

_60…59…58…_

 

He checked his phone once again. No new messages just yet. And still nothing from his parents.

 

_52…51…50…49…_

 

He took a couple sips of his coffee. All of a sudden, time seemed to be moving in slow motion.

 

_46…45…44…_

 

He rose to his feet and moved back into the living room. Maybe he just need to make himself comfortable. Maybe that would help time speed back up.

 

_38…37…36…35…34…_

 

He took a deep breath. Still no new messages. That was almost surprising. He figured he would have a second message from Rise by now. Or at least something from Teddie or Yukiko or Chie.

 

_26…25…24…23…_

 

There was a knock on the front door. He sat up straight, at a loss for who it could be. Maybe his parents were surprising him by coming home early. Unlikely, but anything seemed possible at this point. Well, almost anything.

 

_18…17…16…_

 

He placed the coffee cup down and made his way towards the front door. The stranger knocked again, but he still didn’t bother to say anything in response.

 

_10…9…8…_

 

He paused in front of the door before reaching for the knob, slowly turning and opening it to reveal the stranger on the other side.

 

_3…2…1…_

 

“Happy New Year, Partner,” Yosuke said.

 

Souji’s breath caught in his throat. He couldn’t believe his eyes. Of all the people to be standing on the other side of his doorway, Yosuke was the last person he would expect. He would’ve expected his parents over the brunette. Well, maybe not, but… Either way, he was at a loss for words. A loss for actions.

 

The other just smiled at him. “Am I allowed to come in?”

 

Rather than say anything back, he just stepped aside to grant the brunette entrance. Then he closed the door behind him. They silently made their way towards the kitchen. Souji pulled out another mug and poured Yosuke a cup of coffee. He gladly accepted it before they seated themselves in the living room.

 

“Now, I know you’re no good with words, so you don’t have to say a damn thing,” the brunette started. “Instead, just let me do the talking.” He took a deep breath. “Basically, you’re an idiot, Souji. We both are. You confessed your true feelings to me and I didn’t react quite as kindly as I should have. I didn’t react at all the way I would’ve preferred to, either. At the same time, though, you were so quick to jump to conclusions about how I felt. And that kinda makes you an ass. Then you went to leave without bothering to tell me, which makes you an even bigger ass. I haven’t spoken to you since you left, though, which makes me an ass as well.” He shook his head. “Long story short, I—in no way—feel obligated to return your feelings. And I don’t feel obligated to because I do anyway.” He paused. “I’m not sure if that made any sense or came out the way I meant it to, but the point is that…I like you, too, Partner. So much. And I was aware of that from the moment you confessed, but I was still freaked out because this is all just so new to me. I mean, it’s uncharted territory and that kinda terrifies me. So, I’m gonna need you to be my leader again and guide me through this.” Another pause. “Okay, you haven’t made any sort of noise whatsoever, nor do I think your facial expression has even changed since I started talking, so…I’m gonna need something from you. Any sort of response. Please.”

 

Too bad Souji wasn’t sure how to respond. The fact that Yosuke was here telling him that he felt the same way was more than he could handle. There was so much he could say or do in this moment, but he had to think it through. The last thing he wanted was to make the wrong move or say the wrong thing.

 

“I’m sorry,” he finally spoke up.

 

The brunette’s nose scrunched up. “You’re sorry?”

 

He nodded. “For acting the way I did. It was wrong of me, and it certainly wasn’t fair to you. I really didn’t give you the time or chance to process things like you said you needed. I just assumed that was your excuse for trying to figure out how to let me down easy. It’s like I was almost trying to beat you to the punch by letting myself down instead.”

 

“Why would you do that, though?”

 

“I was scared.”

 

“What? Souji Seta? Scared? C’mon, you don’t get scared.”

 

He chuckled a bit. “Trust me, I get scared, Yosuke. And I was scared. You were the very first friend I made in Inaba. You were the first person to ever become my true friend from any place I’ve been to. So, when I started falling for you, I was so afraid of screwing that up. In a way, I was being selfish. I wanted to make sure I could keep you in my life as my best friend, if not something more. That’s why I didn’t tell you sooner about how I felt. It was a stupid all or nothing mentality I had put myself in.”

 

“That is stupid,” he said. “Kanji and I are supposed to be the stupid ones.”

 

“Don’t say that.”

 

He smiled sheepishly. “Do you believe me, though?”

 

“I want to.”

 

His expression dropped a little. “Huh? Souji…c’mon, I like you. I’m not just saying that to make you feel better. I’m saying that because that’s how I feel.”

 

“Why, though? For months you made fun of Kanji—”

 

“Like I said before, Partner, I like to think I’ve matured in the last year and a half.” He laughed. “I’m not that ignorant kid anymore.”

 

“Okay. Then why me?”

 

“Because you’re… _you_. C’mon, that’s a stupid question. Everyone adored you. The better question would be how could you have fallen for me?”

 

He shrugged his shoulders. “How could I not have? After everything we’ve been through together. After all that you’ve done for me. Inside and out of the TV world. I mean, you’ve been my rock for so long now. The one thing keeping me steady. Without you, I somehow felt so lost. I mean, I was the leader of the group, but I couldn’t have done it without you by my side. So, it was only natural I fell for you.”

 

Yosuke’s face was flushed up through the tips of his ears. “Dude…I’m not that great or special.”

 

“Why do you always feel the need to sell yourself short?”

 

“I dunno. You’re just so amazing and I’m so average… I just don’t get why you would want to be with a guy like me. What would make you choose me?”

 

“I already told you. And you’re pretty amazing yourself, Yosuke. You’re strong and kind and considerate. You’re generous and grateful. You’re stubborn and defencive. You’ll do anything to protect those you care about. Hell, you were even willing to sacrifice yourself for me. And you did so without even giving it a second thought. That right there is true strength and courage. That is the power of heart.”

 

The brunette’s blush deepened. “And you say you’re no good with words.”

 

That caused a little bit of colour to rise to Souji’s cheeks as well. “Yeah, well…I have no problem talking about the things I’m passionate about.”

 

“Are you saying you’re passionate about me, Partner?”

 

He swallowed hard. “I’m in love with you, Yosuke.”

 

His froze, his eyes widening a bit. Before Souji could even try to back pedal, though, the brunette leaned forward and kissed him. After a moment, he pulled way, but Souji was quick to follow after him. Yosuke smiled into the kiss in response. He then let out a small noise of surprise when he was pulled onto the other’s lap. Souji smirked in response as he slipped his hands under the brunette’s shirt.

 

Yosuke pulled away a little. “H-hey, didn’t I talk to you about being patient?”

 

“C’mon, I think I’ve been patient long enough now.” He gently nipped at the other’s neck. “Wouldn’t you agree?”

 

He let out a soft gasp. “Damn it, Souji…”

 

“I’ll ease you into it.” He placed a light kiss over the spot he had just bitten, causing the other to shiver now. “Do you trust me?”

 

“O-of course I do.”

 

He pulled Yosuke’s hips down against his, bucking his up at the same time. Both of them groaned at the friction as they grinded against each other. Then it wasn’t long before they were fumbling with their clothing.

 

“Just tell me no at any point and I’ll stop,” Souji managed to gasp out. “I promise. Don’t be nervous to speak up.”

 

Yosuke nodded fervently. “Just shut up and keep going for now.”

 

So, they both shut up as they spent the New Year together. As one.

 

~~~~

 

Yosuke was half on his side with Souji half on top of with. The other had fallen asleep a little while ago. Now the brunette was just watching him. The rise and fall of his chest as he breathed evenly. The way his silver hair fell into his face. He looked so peaceful…

 

Yosuke was almost surprised with himself and the direction the night had gone in. After all, the thought of being with a guy had weirded him out in the beginning, but being with Souji… It was different because he wasn’t just some guy. He was Souji. Being with him had just been so easy. So natural.

 

He brushed a couple strands of silver hair out of the other’s face before placing a gentle kiss on his forehead. Then he instantly blushed at his own actions.  _Dude, calm down. You just did way more embarrassing things with him other than just kiss him on the forehead. You kissed him on—_ His blushed deepened.

 

“You feeling okay?” Souji then spoke up, though his eyes were still closed. “Your body just tensed up.” His eyelids fluttered open and he looked up at the other before smirking. “Oh, are you getting all bothered thinking about us?”

 

“Shut up,” Yosuke said.

 

“Hmm…” His smirk grew and he switched their positions, pushing the brunette all the way down so he could climb over him. “Y’know, I’m not sure if I left enough marks on you.”

 

“You left plenty of marks, Partner.”

 

“I don’t think I did, though. I want everyone to know you’re mine.”

 

Heat rose in Yosuke’s stomach at the other’s words. Souji was so predatory, and it was pretty hot. Something about that attitude was just attractive to the brunette. So, he lifted his head to capture the lips above him in a deep kiss. And he was kissed back longingly. Lovingly. He was kissed back like he was being claimed. Like this was the last moment on earth for the two of them. Like the rest of the world didn’t even matter.

 

One of Souji’s hands soon found its way down to Yosuke’s hips, causing him to jolt from the uncensored touch. Souji smirked into the kiss and squeezed gently. Now Yosuke let out a little moan before nipping at the other’s bottom lip. That brought out a low growl from the back of Souji’s throat, and it was the hottest thing he had heard that night.

 

“Shit, Partner,” he managed to say. “I’m not used to you being so vocal, but I’m definitely not complaining. I’m enjoying hearing the sounds you make.”

 

That sentiment brought a deep blush to his cheeks. “Shut up.” He pushed on the other’s shoulders. “You did a decent job at swallowing your screams last time, but I’ll make sure you can’t hold them back next time.”

 

“Go ahead, leader. Do your thing.”

 

Another smirk. “Oh, you thought I meant right now?”

 

The brunette stammered a bit as he tried to form a coherent sentence. “Tease,” he finally said, as it was the only word he could get out.

 

“It wouldn’t be fun otherwise.”

 

Souji gave him one last kiss on the nose before pushing himself back and climbing off the futon. Yosuke sat up and watched him as he got redressed. He was gonna get Souji back for this. Not right now, but he would. Someway. Somehow. Then he was pulled away from his thoughts when he was hit in the face with his own discarded pants. He let out a little yelp in surprise, to which Souji laughed. Yosuke smiled in return. Hell, while Souji’s moans and gasps were nice sounds, that laugh was even nicer.

 

“You hungry?” he spoke up.

 

“Partner, it’s four o’clock in the morning.”

 

“So what? I’m up. You’re up. I’m hungry, so I’m gonna make food either way. I just need to know if you’re hungry, too.”

 

He shook his head at him. “Yeah, I could eat.”

 

So, Yosuke took a seat in the kitchen and watched Souji as he prepared a—super early—breakfast for them. They made small talk as he did so. Idle chatter. Conversations about nothing. Ways to just be able to listen to each other and hear each other. It was all random and insignificant.

 

This was something the brunette could get used to. Midnight make-out sessions. Staying up all night. Talking about anything and everything. Not talking at all. Enjoying each other’s silent company. Laying together. Sleeping together. Cooking together at four o’clock in the morning. Or at least watching the other cook at four o’clock in the morning. It didn’t matter what they were doing. He was just happy he’d be able to spend all this extra time with Souji without the risk of it seeming  _weird_. Then again, maybe it was never weird to begin with. Maybe it had always been normal.

 

Either way, it was what he wanted. And he could tell it was what Souji wanted, too. Just the two of them. Best friends. Partners. Sure, it was new and different and unfamiliar, but Yosuke was ready to venture into the unknown. He was more than ready. Especially with Souji leading the way.

 

Because whenever the two of them were together, anything could go wrong, but it would still always be all right.

**Author's Note:**

> I apologise for the super stupid summary; I'm so bad at those x3  
> Also, when I opened this document to revise it, I did not remember it being so freaking long x.x lmao  
> Either way, enjoy some Souyo this holiday season!!


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